Detroit, MI
Why OL coach Hank Fraley chose to return to Detroit Lions
This offseason, the Detroit Lions’ coaching staff was picked apart by other teams, but one critical coach opted to stay with the team despite opportunities elsewhere.
Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley interviewed several times for the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator job, but ultimately returned to Detroit—and got a nice little promotion along the way by adding run game coordinator to his title. That said, Fraley said the opportunity in Seattle was a good learning experience.
“I think everything you do in life, you’re always learning from something and trying to get better at it,” Fraley said last week. “It was a great opportunity to at least look at and learn from. You never want to take things for granted. I just want to be the best O-line coach I can be, to be honest. To be the best coach, it’s like being the best dad, the best husband. It was an honor for somebody to call and reach out, and it was a great experience.”
It’s unclear if Fraley was ever offered the job, but he made one thing extremely clear: returning to Detroit was no consolation prize for the 13-year coaching veteran.
“I’m very glad I’m back here because this is where I wanted to be with my family. We’ve got stuff special here, I’ve got a special room,” Fraley said.
The importance of Fraley to Detroit’s offensive line cannot be overstated. Not only has Detroit’s offensive line been their biggest strength during their franchise turnaround, but when the topic of Fraley potentially taking a job elsewhere came up, Lions All-Pro offensive linemen Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow both joked that they rely on Fraley so much that they would sabotage his efforts to leave.
“I haven’t played in this league without Hank and I don’t plan on doing it. I’ll sabotage him, I’ll leak stories, whatever it takes,” Ragnow joked.
“He’s just been one of those pillars for me in this organization,” Sewell said. “When I first came in, I fell in love with him, and we’ve got a history, too. He was recruiting me in high school when he was at UCLA. So, lotta history between us, and our relationship has grown. He’s like coach (Dan) Campbell in terms of a figure in my eyes. So, he’s not going nowhere.”
For Fraley, leaving Detroit would have been a tough decision. He’s been in Detroit for seven years now. He’s raised four children who call Detroit home. And there’s also something special to him about walking through those doors at the Lions’ Allen Park facility every day.
“Family is a big part of it, but really, the (offensive line) room,” Fraley said. “Coach Campbell is a big part of it. Family, we’ve been here going on eight years. For me, personally, you guys probably know a lot more than that, but my kids, before here, the longest they ever lived (in one place) was four years. Michigan, I would say, is home for them. Even though they’ll go anywhere. We’ve lived all over the country. But home right now, for my wife and I, is here in Michigan.”
A woman died, and a person is in custody, in the aftermath of a two-vehicle crash on Friday evening in Detroit.
An emergency call was placed at 7:39 p.m., reporting the crash at Collingwood and Belleterre streets. The Detroit Police Department said one of the drivers was traveling at a high rate of speed on Collingwood and disregarded a stop sign at the intersection, striking the other vehicle.
The crash killed a woman who is in her 40s and injured a man who is also in his 40s. A medical condition was not available for the injured man.
The Detroit Police Department said a suspect is in custody and they are continuing to investigate.
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Federal regulators say the autonomous vehicle company Waymo must stop its cars from blocking first responders. Waymo has been testing its vehicles in Detroit. The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the agency found several cases of Waymo driver-less vehicles traveling into emergency scenes, blocking firefighters or failing to stop for flashing lights and flares. Federal regulators say they will meet with autonomous vehicle developers to devise ways to address the problem. A Waymo vehicle will stop, however, if it notices nefarious activity from kids riding in it. A Waymo car in California recently stopped in a parking lot and called police after two teens in its back seat allegedly began drinking alcohol and shooting water beads from a toy gun.
Additional headlines for Friday, July 10, 2026
Bar IX location coming soon?
Detroit’s first women’s sports bar is crowdfunding to open a permanent space. Bar IX hosts pop-up watch parties for women’s sports. The bar has raised 65 percent of if its 125-thousand-dollar goal since the campaign kicked off on June 30. Organizers are giving away merchandise such as stickers, keychains, and t-shirts with donations.
African World Festival
The African World Festival is this weekend at Hart Plaza. The festival celebrates culture and history with music, spoken word, food and a retail marketplace. The festival starts today and runs through Sunday. Visit Charles H Wright museum website at for more info and to buy tickets.
Lake St. Clair Metropark to receive updates
Lake St. Clair Metropark is getting 15 million dollars in improvements. The improvements include reopening the North Marina, expanding accessibility across the park, adding new trail connections and modernizing infrastructure. It’s the biggest investment in the park in decades. Renovations at the marina will fully reopen the marina with 78 boat slips for transient docking and bring accessible floating finger docks back to the North Marina basin. All renovations are expected to be completed by the end of summer 2027.
Detroit Riverfront tour
The Detroit Parks Coalition is hosting a free walking tour about the Detroit Riverfront tomorrow, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 11a.m. The tour will give an overview of the history of the riverfront as a well as more info on the newest Ralph C Wilson Centennial Park. Meet at the Dock, located near the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Water Garden across from the Plaza. Parking is available along Jefferson Ave, Rosa Parks, and in the nearby Bagley Mobility Hub and Assembly garages.
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